Abstract
Participatory research adopts the political position of engendering empowerment and generating social change. The incorporation of research participants into the management, planning, and implementation of the research process is assumed to lead to changes on individual and social levels. However, change originating in the participatory research (PR) process is based on more than just the moral imperatives inherent in PR. PR techniques rely heavily on mapping and diagramming activities. Vygotsky's notion of mediation is used to demonstrate the epistemological value of the visualization mechanisms inherent in many participatory techniques.
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